Smartphones are constantly reaching new heights in sleekness and cutting-edge technology, but investors in the U.S. wireless sector seem unconvinced. Weak results and poor growth in both major and minor telecoms firms nationwide helped spark an investor exodus from the sector, and analysts say small operators like MetroPCS and Leap Wireless have indicated they’ve simply lost faith in the promise that smartphones can boost growth. Popular with consumers and heavily subsidized to encourage uptake, investors now look to be assessing whether a future of ever-increasing costs for carriers is one they’d like to take part in.

In tech company earnings, professional networking site LinkedIn reported that its quarterly revenue more than doubled as the company endeavored to prove it can fulfill the promise of its splashy IPO. Used by professionals seeking jobs or contacts and companies seeking qualified applicants, LinkedIn was the first prominent U.S. social networking site to make its public trading debut.

The massive hack attack recently revealed by security company McAfee does much to underscore the fact that governments and companies are losing the war against cyber thieves. Security experts uncovered an unprecedented five-year series of cyber attacks on 72 organizations worldwide, including the United Nations, governments and major corporations. In this analysis, Reuters’ security correspondent William Maclean argues that it’s unclear if the unsettling disclosure will actually prompt rapid global action against cyber attacks – partly due to the reluctance of stigma-conscious companies and states to report the attacks.

In more bad news, Nokia Siemens Networks announced it began cutting 1,500 jobs from the 6,900 staff it acquired with its $1.2 billion acquisition of Motorola’s telecoms network unit in April. A Nokia spokesman said the process affects staff working in the GSM and Wimax technology divisions in several countries including the U.S. and Britain.

And in the social networking world, a new system of predicting “friends” based on the actual places individuals visit has been developed by researchers at Cambridge University in the UK. The new approach to “friend suggestions” looks at users’ regular haunts and finds other people with similar connections. Combined with the “friend-of-a-friend” method, this new system can increase the efficacy of the friend prediction system, say researchers.

The headquarters of Warner Music Group is pictured in Burbank, California August 5, 2008. REUTERS/Fred Prouser

Russian-born billionaire Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries has won control of Warner Music Group with an offer of $8.25 a share, according to a source familiar with the matter. The agreement would set the world’s third-largest music company’s enterprise value at approximately $3.3 billion.

The NYTimes’s Ben Protess shines a light on Len Blavatnik, chairman of Access Industries and the new controlling stakeholder of Warner Music Group. Well-known for his investing prowess, he came to America as a penniless teenager and after building a fortune on oil and metal companies, he’s worth roughly $10 billion.

Investors frustrated in their attempts to buy some of the hundreds of failing U.S. banks are testing a new approach. Rather than wait for an ailing bank to be seized by regulators and sold off to a rival, dealmakers are touting a $6.5 million bankruptcy sale as a way to attract new investors able to infuse banks with life-saving capital.

Ailing carmaker Saab has asked Sweden’s debt office to approve a change in ownership so Chinese group Hawtai and U.S. investment fund Gemini can help get production restarted. Saab owner Spyker Cars said this week that the privately-owned Hawtai was eyeing an investment of 150 million euros ($210 million).

Internet giants Facebook and Google are separately considering a tie-up with Skype after the Web video conferencing service delayed its initial public offering, two sources with direct knowledge told Reuters. A Skype deal could be valued at $3 billion to $4 billion, according to one of the sources.

Swiss commodity trader Glencore’s planned $11 billion listing was fully covered on its first day as investors rushed to take part in the mega-float, two sources close to the deal said on Thursday. Investors placed orders for all the shares on offer, including a 10 percent overallotment option, sources said, adding it was too soon to say where in the indicated 480-580 pence ($0.79-0.95) range the shares would be priced.

Warner Music Group could reach a deal to sell itself as soon as close of business on Thursday when the board meets to make a final decision, according to two sources. The world’s third largest music company is expected to be sold for over $3 billion and leading the bidding is Russian-American industrialist Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries.

Shareholders in Actelion threw their weight behind the management of Europe’s largest biotech company, rejecting proposals by activist investor Elliott Advisors as a battle for control came to a head. New York-based hedge fund Elliott has urged the Swiss biotech group to seek a buyer after a string of product setbacks and has accused Actelion of pursuing a high-risk strategy that has eroded shareholder value.

(Reuters.com) – Fourteen years after the release of Juan de Marcos González and American guitarist Ry Cooder’s recording of the iconic Buena Vista Social Club, a new generation of musicians are blazing trails and widening the scope of Cuban musical art. And timeless Havana is where it’s all happening.

After 52 years under a stifling embargo with the United States and a largely unsuccessful experiment with a centrally planned economy, the capital and the country, now under the helm of Raul Castro (Fidel’s younger, slightly more pragmatist brother) is slowly beginning to shed its former skin.

Elected president in 2008, Raul loosened restrictions on mobile phones and internet-accessible computers, handed over unused government land to farmers and eased regulations on private businesses.

While ordinary citizens are pleased yet impatient for further changes, there is a class of Cuban who has always enjoyed a high level of prestige and perks: sports stars and the country’s many artists. The best and most talented (and loyal) among them were rewarded with visas to travel, study and perform overseas, provided they remain sufficiently faithful to the cause.

These same artists return home to rock-star status, but can still be seen jamming with local musicians on stage at venues in the capital large and small.

As such, no visit to Havana is complete without taking in some element of a live show. For the adventurous traveller willing to dive into the local scene, here’s our round-up of the best of Havana’s many musical options. The wide variety of sounds on offer represent the melting pot of Cuban culture and its Spanish, African, French and indigenous roots.

This is where Havana’s young, rich party people converge to listen to the biggest names in Cuban music. Everyone from Bamboleo to Los Van Van play here, with salsa, son, boleros and jazz dominating until around 1 a.m., when the venue becomes a disco. The early show goes from 5-9 p.m. and the late show starts at 11 p.m. The cover starts at CUC15 and goes up depending on who’s playing. Dress fashionably, and wear your dancing shoes.

The central Havana location is larger and has an edgier vibe than the Miramar spot, but the ticket touts and prostitutes are best avoided at both locations. (Miramar has an excellent CD store attached run by national record label Egrem. You can visit the CD shop without paying the club cover if you ask the doorman nicely.)

The Jazz Café (third floor of the Galeria de Paseo Shopping Center on Calle Paseo and 1st, Habana vieja)

This classic jazz and dinner club, located on the third floor of a frequently empty shopping mall, is a bit out of the way but well worth the trip. Overlooking the scenic Malecón (seafront esplanade), it’s the perfect place to kick back with a drink (or five) and soak in some air-conditioning and excellent tunes.

The regular stomping ground of piano legend Chucho Valdés, the jazz sets start here at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., and the CUC10 cover gets you in the door, as well as CUC10 worth of food and drink. Considering the upmarket vibe and attentive service, drinks and food here are ridiculously cheap. Expect your pesos to go a long way.

This rhumba and timba palace in the heart of central Havana features Cuba’s best traditional music and dancing, with a focus on Afro-Cuban percussion and vocals. The music here is fast and loud, and the lively atmosphere infectious. Drawing a mixed crowd (cover for foreigners is CUC10, and Cubans pay the equivalent of around $2), this is a great place to pick up a few new dance steps and take in the dance classes and drumming competitions in the park. Arrive early and stay late.

The Tropicana Club (Calle 72 no 4505, Marianao)

For some, a trip to the famed Tropicana Club may suffice. Situated on a six-acre (24,000 square-metre) lush suburban estate in Havana’s Marianao neighbourhood, this 72-year-old cabaret was once a pre-revolution hotbed of mafia activity. Today it mostly hosts large groups of foreign tourists at its 9 p.m. open-air show (weather depending). With the exceedingly steep entrance price of CUC$65 – more than three times what the average Cuban makes in a month – it can be safely called a tourist trap.

For excellent info, videos and articles on contemporary Cuban music check out Havana Cultura (<www.havana-club.com/en>), a website set up by rum-maker Havana Club to promote Cuban arts.

By Aviva West (Reuters.com) – When it comes to R&R, Danang still hasn’t lost its touch. In the city’s post-war evolution, first came the tourists, then the swank resorts. Finally, the pro golf courses arrived.

Vietnam’s fourth-largest city and its central region’s most important sea port, Danang is best remembered for its role as host to a U.S. airbase during the Vietnam War. “China Beach”, as it was known, earned a reputation as a fun-in-the-sun stop-off at the very doorway to the war.

More than 25 years later, this beach city has shaken off its wartime past. Long gone are the surfing G.I.s and whirring helicopter blades. In their place are brightly painted hotels, broad boulevards and the occasional beach tout.

And golf pros. Two-time British Open winner Greg Norman may not have been the first professional golfer to build a course in Vietnam, but his creation has certainly shaken the competition.

In May 2010, the Norman-crafted, 692-acre Dunes Course at the Danang Golf Club (here) opened to widespread acclaim. Vietnam’s most-lauded course, the 7,160-yard, 18-hole, links-style layout features fast fairways, rugged sand dunes and wild, blown out bunkers that trundle down to a stunning stretch of sandy white coast.

Described as one of the most unique layouts in Southeast Asia, Dunes was designed in the spirit of the world’s best links — Moonah Course at The National in Australia and Doonbeg in Ireland — two other award-winning Norman designs.

Among the standout experiences at Dunes, the signature par 3 16th offers a vista that players can be forgiven for taking their time to enjoy; from the tee, the view is Vietnam at its finest. A gentle surf laps at a white sand beach as long-tailed fishing boats glide past rocky islands in the distance.

To the east are the sparkling blue waters of the South China Sea and the jungle-covered peaks of the nearby Cham Islands, starting point for some of the country’s best scuba diving. Just south and inland stand the fabled Marble Mountains, home to a series of Buddhist temples carved deep into the dramatic grottoes and caves.

Reviews of Dunes have also praised its generous fairways and restrained use of water. Despite the roomy atmosphere, so many built-up waste areas demand accuracy if a good score is to be earned. In homage to history, an authentic French bunker remains nestled between the 16th and 17th holes, a preserved reminder of colonial times (rumour has it there are plans to turn it into a concession stand).

Until 1986, when Hanoi officially opened the door to capitalism, the Communist party had frowned on golf as an irrelevant indulgence of the bourgeoisie. In the past decade, though, the Communist elite have bestowed its full blessing on the game as both a symbol and tool of the country’s rapid modernisation.

Cadres who could afford it were quick to take up the game; if you’re on a Vietnamese fairway, chances are that the gentleman on the next tee wields significant authority. With green fees at $75-99 for a weekday and $125-149 for a weekend, the average Vietnamese, who earns less than $1,300 per year, will never swing a club.

To serve this burgeoning class of local and foreign golferati, the Danang Golf Club recently soft-opened a semi-private 3,800-sq-m clubhouse. Boasting an excess of glass and metalwork, its café and restaurant are popular with businessmen from Japan, Singapore, Korea and China — Vietnam’s primary investment partners. “Full service” operations are expected by April 1.

Blissfully cool and quiet, the shrink-wrapped newness of the clubhouse and the wild luxury of the course offer an emblematic glimpse into today’s Vietnam. Swing by swing and hole by hole, Danang is pushing forward with its vision for a new era of R&R.

Getting there: Danang International Airport is 3 km from the city centre and serves flights from within Vietnam as well as from China, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia.

Da Lat Palace Golf Club (www.dalatpalacegolf.vn) Located in the town of Da Lat, a former French hill station 310km from Saigon, this is Vietnam’s first golf course. Well-reviewed, the course sits 5,000 feet above sea level, with a historic stone mansion for a clubhouse.

Chi Linh StarGolf and Country Club (here) Located an hour outside of Hanoi, this 18-hole course first opened in 2003, and is especially popular with the Politburo and Japanese businessmen. Features full amenities but is best visited in the dry summer months.

Montgomerie Links Golf Resort (www.montgomerielinks.com) Located literally next door to The Dunes Course, this Colin Montgomerie-designed layout features a more manicured 18 holes. Pair a round at the Dunes with one here for the full golf experience.

In the business world, as in music, Simmons boasts an impressive record. A classic immigrant rags-to-riches tale, he’s worked tirelessly over the last 36 years to turn the KISS brand into an empire. His former blood-spitting “Demon” alter ego now graces more than 2,500 different products such as ketchup, condoms, coffins and credit cards.

In addition to KISS album sales (over 100 million units sold), Simmons earns $100,000 per speaking engagement, and has more than half a dozen booked for 2011 already. Among his other non-musical ventures are estate planning (he is a co-founder of Cool Springs Life Equity Strategy), books, magazines and a handful of television projects.

Reuters sat down with him recently in Toronto just before his keynote speech at Canada’s Advertising Week 2011. Here are some tips from Simmons on how to excel in business.

Q: Beside yourself, who else has it right in business today?

A: If you take a look at Warren Buffett, Carlos Slim — they don’t use computers and they don’t text. They don’t even talk on the cell. Impersonal social networking is fine for information. But you’re not judged like that. You’re not going to get a job that way.

Q: When it comes to pitching business ventures or new ideas, what’s the best way of making your case?

A: When you sit there to talk to somebody (in a pitch), you better learn the two most important things: learn how to speak English correctly – it’s the language of money – and learn good people skills. Learn to communicate as well as you can so people give you more money. It’s actually a profoundly simple idea.

Q: What are some rookie mistakes you’ve seen?

A: A lack of due diligence. In plain speak, you don’t find out who the people are. It’s your responsibility to look both ways before you cross the street. It’s your responsibility to make sure the light’s green. It’s your responsibility to learn, to educate and find out if you’re dealing with crooks.

(He mentions the idea again during his speech, noting that the victims of Bernard Madoff failed in due diligence to ensure their investments were legit.)

Q: And what about failure? How do successful entrepreneurs bounce back?

A: There is no failure. Take a cue from the best athletes in the word. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is actually a really good phrase. If you’re alive, you’re in the game. Every time you fail you learn something and next time you won’t make that mistake again.

Before rushing off to his next engagement, he offers one last piece of advice he said has proven the test of time.

“Never listen to any one particular piece of business advice. What that really means is you have to take successful peoples’ lives and experiences into consideration, but then you have to apply your own situation to that. Because there are no ‘10 rules’ for success.”

Photo credit: KISS bass player Gene Simmons performs during their concert at the Parque Simon Bolivar in Bogota, April 11, 2009. REUTERS/John Vizcaino